Cantillon Kriek

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Brussels, Belgium

From a 750mL Bottle, 1996 Vintage. Pours a slightly transparent, deep ruby color with some shades of resiny amber lying beneath a thin head of fizzy white. Like most krieks, cherries abound in the aroma, but this cherry character has that authentic fleshy, woody pit-like quality that can only be found in an elite few. In addition, the signature cantillon sourness suggests the cherries were actually added as an afterthought to an already great lambic, and not selected to be the focal point of the beer. Light bodied, lightly carbonated mouthfeel, but what’s there assaults the palate with a sharpness that supplements the sourness quite well. Acidic, funky flavors of lemon skins, broken leather, white wine vinegar, and oaky chardonnay tannins form a beautiful sour backdrop for the exquisitely authentic cherries. Hasn’t lost a bit in its time. Thanks for another memorable tasting experience, Dr. Bill!

Pours reddish amber with a white head with light hint of prickly carbonation. The aroma has lots of tart gueze traits with a good amount of cherries balancing it out. Very much on the sour side, but with light richness with lots of wild yeast - quite crisp. Thin crisp body that has lots of sharpness and only a light bit of sharp carbonation. The taste starts with extra sharp sour cherries, wild yeast, barnyard funk, dry white grapes and tart limes - everything it should have. Big ol’ thumbs up for this wonderful kriek. <P> Rerate notes: With a eight month old bottle the cherry is much more pronounced, but thankfully doesn’t sweeten it up. It mainly makes is smoother and much easier to drink. A fine lambic.

Bottle at Cantillon, march 07. Sharp, aromatic nose with some fruits, lemon, vinegar and horse saddle. Beatifull flavor, anise, balsamic cherries with a slight citric acid finnish. MF is medium to light, full fruity punch but a short aftertaste. Amazing shinny red color with some rose notes and a small but lasting white-rosé head. A fabolous, enjoyable cantillon.

(2005 Bottling). Fully loaded hard core lambic style. Very kriek in appearance but nose and palate suggests, strongly, unsweetened lambic. High on acid and tart fruits, right through the nose and palate. Very unyielding right now. One of those rare beers that seems far too young to consume.

1996 vintage. 750mL thanks to Dr. Bill. On the nose a crisp tart dryness in rose hips, german kirsch and a flowery oaky preserved quality. A pour of blushed sun, rimmed in pale peach. Flavor was a graceful, delicate breezy panache of Door County cherry pits, craisins and longing, wonderfully parching woodiness. Some hickory and ash alighted amongst the perfusive hard candy cherry juice feeling. Yet, the wildness was balanced in the midst, with plenty of hay and grass with cork over the whole beast. A perfectly dry and satisfying completion. Maybe a perfect Kriek.

Young 37.5 cL, freshly bottled sometime this year. Bright red with pinkish tint, sour cherries, berries, and lemons in the nose. Very sour of course but much less acidic than I expected, somewhat flat with powerful cherries. Damn nice, and I think I’ll cellar the others for a while yet.

Bottle: sampled at the brewery in Brussels. Poured a pink colored beer with great carbonation and a good head. Aroma is a mix between the raspberry and the Cantillon yeast. Taste is a bit deceiving since it is too much acidic that it kills the rest of the flavours, the raspberry are buried under the acidic tones. I believe that some other lambic -fruit a better balanced then this one and offer a better refreshing taste.

Full on sour lambic flavor-fest. Cherries are still there, but on the back notes. Aroma is typically traditionally, wet blanket, barnyard, sour, but again, against all odds, cherries and wood peek through. Beautiful beer. 2001 bottle coutersey of boboski. Just when you think it could not get any more intense, out comes a 6 year old bottle. Bit of fear when the cork revelaed some mold, but holy crap, what an intensity!!!